Switched: Version 2
by Blue Windowsill
Summary: A different take on 'Switched'. Spoilers, obviously. It hasn't been changed since last time, but the summary was bugging me.
1. Frustration

Story: Switched: Version 2  
  
Author: morallyobjected  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.. if I did, the show would be a lot more.. well.. Raven/Starfire-like..  
  
Pairings: Raven/Starfire(yes, these are two girls.. if you don't like it, there's an X at the top-right of your browser)  
  
Spoilers: If you watch Teen Titans, you haven't seen Switched, and you don't want me ruining it for you, then don't read.  
  
Summary: Well, I watched Switched, and decided it wasn't Raven/Starfire friendly enough, so I'm changing it just a little itty bit.  
  
Notes: I didn't change the episode too much, I think, just added in some subtext, changed some dialogue, added a scene or two, etc.. Also, I had to watch the episode on my computer countless times to get all the stuff right.. it's not very fun... If you're going to use the review function merely for the purpose of flaming me for writing something with a homosexual preference, go ahead, if you want to look like an ass in front of everyone else, I won't stop or hinder you.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
'' = speaking, [] = thoughts, -word = emphasis  
  
---  
  
A red cloth covers all that can be seen, but it suddenly parts. Titans Tower is in view, with Jump City sitting in the background. Robin suddenly comes down from the sky, but instead of falling to the ocean as he should, he simply jerks and stays in the air. Something's not quite right about Robin. He looks a bit odd, and there are six strings coming out of his back. It's a puppet, and the scenery is just a backdrop in a puppet theatre.  
  
'Titans, go!' says the puppet master, while controlling Robin, moving the mouth while swinging the Robin-puppet left. He turns the puppet head right and speaks again. 'Hey, aren't you guys coming?' This time to puppets of the other Titans.  
  
'What's the point?' asks puppet-Raven. 'We can't possibly defeat the Puppet King.'  
  
'He is too clever and powerful,' puppet-Starfire adds, 'not to mention good-looking.'  
  
'Yeah, we should probably just surrender now,' the puppet version of Cyborg puts in.  
  
'Dude,' says puppet-Beast Boy as he points up, 'I think we already have.'  
  
The screen pans out, and the Puppet King is visible above the stage as he holds two controls in each of his hands. The only parts visible are the eyes, round like dinner plates, and the lower part of his body down to his knees, as he's sitting on them. The Puppet King is dressed like a nutcracker doll, and the outline of a crown is visible on his head.  
  
'Bravo, bravo, but enough rehearsal. Time to start the show.' the Puppet King says, dropping the controls he was holding, sending the puppets dropping down to the stage as the red curtain closes.  
  
Cue opening theme  
  
The first thing visible is space, and a shooting star passes across. The next thing that comes is Raven's head, eyes closed, deep in meditation. There's a single rock, with a flat surface floating amongst the darkness, over which Raven is floating, 'sitting' Indian style, in a meditative pose.  
  
'Azarath Metrion Zinthos,' Raven chanted. 'Azarath Metrion Zinthos.'  
  
Then there came a voice.  
  
'Raven?' the voice asked, softly at first. 'Raven?' this time louder.  
  
The outer space scene tore apart, revealing the main room in Titans Tower, and the owner of the voice. It was Starfire. An agitated look grew on Raven's face.  
  
'Please forgive my interruption,' the red-haired alien girl started, 'but have you seen Robin?'  
  
Raven opened an eye to answer. 'No,' and the eye closed as fast as it had opened.  
  
'Oh,' Starfire responded, a bit of defeat creeping into her voice, and she began walking away. Then she turned back. 'Perhaps you have seen Cyborg?'  
  
'No,' came the same reply in the same fashion.  
  
Again, Starfire started walking away, but turned back once again. 'Beast Boy?'  
  
'My eyes are -closed, Starfire,' Raven said, exasperated, 'I haven't 'seen' anyone.'  
  
'They must be doing the 'hanging out' someplace,' and Starfire once again began to walk away. However, as she had done all the previous times, Starfire turned around and spoke. 'Perhaps we should do the 'hanging out,'' the Tamaranean girl suggested cheerfully. 'We never have before, and conceivably, it could be fun. We might journey to the mall of shopping, or perform braiding maneuvers on each other's hair, or-' At this point Starfire noticed the black fire burning around Raven. 'You.. wish to be alone?'  
  
'How could you tell?' Raven retorted dryly, and the fire burning around her dissipated, as she returned to a calm state while Starfire backed out of the room.  
  
[It's not that I hate her, though she -does get a little annoying every once and awhile, I just really need to meditate,] Raven thought to herself. 'Azarath Metrion Z-'  
  
'MAIL CALL!' Raven's meditation was interrupted again, but this time by the return of the boys, Cyborg's loud voice in particular, sending her limbs flying everywhere, a scream escaping her lips as she fell to the ground.  
  
[Well, it looks as if I'm not going to get any meditating done..]  
  
Starfire flew towards the entrance where the boys were standing, a grin on her face. 'Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, you are back!' she said with exuberance. 'It was.. quiet while you were gone.'  
  
'Not that quiet,' Raven mumbled, dusting herself off.  
  
While this was happening, Cyborg set a wooden box down on a table, and everyone gathered around it, curious. It said simply:   
  
To: Teen Titans  
Titans Tower  
  
'Check it out,' Beast Boy said. 'This was sitting by the front door. Fan mail! Probably a gift from one of my -many admirers,' he continued as Robin inspected the box.  
  
'Actually,' Robin pointed out, 'it doesn't say -who it's from.'  
  
'Well, one way to find out,' Cyborg stated as he ripped the top open. 'Woah!'  
  
'Cool!' Robin added, and Starfire giggled, as they saw what was inside.  
  
'Honestly,' Beast Boy admitted, 'I was kinda hoping for chocolate'  
  
Cyborg reached down and pulled out one of it's contents: puppet-Cyborg. 'Aww, idn't that cute? Puppet-Cy has a light up eye.'  
  
'Yeah,' Robin let out, excited, while playing with the mini-utility belt. 'They got all the details just right.'  
  
'Speak for yourself, I'm -way better-looking than -this!' Beast Boy half-yelled angrily, thrusting his puppet forward. 'And taller,' he added a moment later.  
  
'Someone certainly has a lot of time on their hands...' Raven trailed off, examining hers.  
  
'I have never seen such a whimsical device!' Starfire giggled as she played with her puppet.  
  
'Hello, Starfire,' Starfire spoke to herself, using the puppet.  
  
'Hello, tiny, wooden replica of Starfire!' Starfire replied back to the puppet, shaking its hand.  
  
Robin was playing with his puppet, when Beast Boy came over with his and made it kick Robin's in the butt.  
  
'Dude,' Beast Boy exclaimed, 'my puppet is totally kicking your puppet's butt!'  
  
'Not for long,' Robin countered, as he made some weird sounds that Japanese actors always make in kung-fu movies, and his puppet slammed into Beast Boy's, knocking it into puppet-Cyborg making a 'BOING!' sound.  
  
'You wanna piece uh me, little man?' puppet-Cyborg challenged.  
  
The boys quickly became caught up in puppet-fighting. They made several fight noises, and challenges, and were having a good time.  
  
'Boys..' Raven sighed, standing well away from the chaos.  
  
'Shall my tiny replica do battle with your tiny replica?' Starfire asked, enjoying herself.  
  
'Knock yourself out,' Raven answered, tossing her puppet to Starfire and walking off.  
  
[It's -far too noisy here..] Raven thought to herself.  
  
[Oh Raven,] Starfire pondered. [Why can't you ever have any -fun?]  
  
fade to black 


	2. Switched

Here's chapter 2! I could have posted it all as one thing, but I liked this version of chapter division better..  
  
Nighttime has taken over at Titans Tower, and it's quieted down considerably from the preceding afternoon. All the Titans are in their beds, sleeping peacefully. The box that had contained the puppets sits motionless on the table, when suddenly a hand breaks through the top. The outline of the Puppet King is visible as he frees himself from the box container.  
  
He enters Starfire's room, where both she and her puppet are sleeping, both in the same position. Their feet are at the head of their circular beds, while their heads hang off the foot. The sound of her door opening, and the movements of the Puppet King cause Starfire to awaken, and the Puppet King exits the room as Starfire sits up. However, the sound of the closing door is not lost on her, and she lets out a small scream as she brings her fists to her chest. She looks at the door, frightened.  
  
'Who is there?' she asks, but receives no answer.  
  
The TV in Beast Boy's room is on, a Game Over screen with a dead monkey stuck there until someone turns the game off. He's having a dream, holding a sock as if it were a girl.  
  
'Ladies, please, one at a time,' he mumbles. 'You'll -all get to take your picture with me.'  
  
As he makes kissing gestures toward the sock, a green light suddenly appears beside his bed. A green glow surrounds him, and Beast Boy's spirit is pulled out of his body. It continues on to puppet-Beast Boy, hanging on his headboard, and is transferred into it, trapped.  
  
A door opens, and Starfire steps out of it cautiously. The Puppet King's shadow goes by in the background, unnoticed.  
  
'Hello?' she calls out timidly. 'Hello?'  
  
In his room, Cyborg sleeps, his puppet clenched up against his chest under his left hand. A hand raises itself, holding a string-less puppet control, with a green light on it. Another light shows up on it, this time white. A white light surrounds Cyborg, and he lets out a gasp. His spirit is pulled into his puppet, and his head falls back to his bed.  
  
Meanwhile, out from behind door number six comes Starfire, still walking cautious.  
  
'Is someone there?' she calls out to the empty hallway.  
  
Meanwhile, in Robin's room, his body is floating in the air, surrounded by a red glow. It pulls his spirit to his puppet, and his body falls back down to his bed with a grunt.  
  
Laughter echoes through the hallway as Starfire stands alone, obviously by now very scared.  
  
'Huh?' she says, as she turns around and starts walking. 'If this is a joke, it is not-'  
  
She's cut off as a door opens to her side. She lets out a scream, and so does the opener of said door: Raven. After the customary flying up of the hair and the expanding of the mouths to abnormal sizes, Starfire remembered why she was down here in the first place.  
  
'Raven,' Starfire lets out, relieved to see her friend, and not a monster. 'You have also heard the strange noises?'  
  
'The strange noises of you talking out side my door?' Raven said, slightly annoyed. 'Hard to miss.'  
  
[I don't think she'd be out here without a good reason, but then again, it -is Starfire,] Raven pondered to herself.  
  
'Oh,' Starfire said, scratching the back of her head, embarrassed. 'Forgive me, I thought there was someone—EEK!'  
  
Her conversation was cut short by a blast coming between them. The other three Titans were running toward them. Their eyes were not their normal colors, but instead they were a neon green. Robin jumped and tried to kick Starfire, but she flew out of the way. Beast Boy ran at Raven, currently in the form of a carnivorous dinosaur. He tried biting Raven, but was met by her dark barriers.  
  
'Beast Boy, it's -me!' she cried out, all the while fending off his attacks. 'Don't make me hurt you.'  
  
As Raven was dodging Beast Boy's deadly chomping, Starfire was trying to avoid Robin's explosive discs. She managed to take out two of them before they got too close, but she didn't shoot the third one in time, and it exploded next to her, causing her to fall down into Cyborg's waiting arms. Beast Boy, still in dinosaur form, smacked Raven with his tail, sending her flying at Cyborg, who caught her and restrained both her and Starfire in his strong grip.  
  
'Let me go!' Raven grunted as she struggled.  
  
'Friends,' Starfire cried desperately, 'why do you attack us?'  
  
'Oh,' came a voice, 'they're not -your friends anymore. They are -my puppets.'  
  
It was the Puppet King.  
  
'-These are -your friends,' he said as he thrust forth the puppets of Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy. Only now, they weren't just puppets, they contained the spirits of the three Titans.  
  
'Starfire!' puppet-Robin called out.  
  
'Raven!' this time from puppet-Cyborg.  
  
'Helllp!' pleaded puppet-Beast Boy.  
  
'Release them!' Raven demanded, refusing to give up.  
  
'Sorry,' came the Puppet King's reply, 'but -you're not in charge here. -You don't command me, -I command -you.'  
  
He held up his magic control as the zombie Robin and Beast Boy held up Raven and Starfire's puppets. Blue and yellow glows surrounded Raven and Starfire, respectively.  
  
'And with the Puppet King pulling the strings, the Teen Titans will command the entire city.'  
  
[Gotta.. save.. Starfire..] Raven thought to herself.  
  
'Azarath Metrion Zinthos' she got out, weakly, before both hers and Starfire's spirits were pulled from their bodies.  
  
A black, bladed disc appeared, and got bigger and bigger, until its energy knocked over Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and the Puppet King, sending the puppets and the control flying.  
  
'My control!' the Puppet King exclaimed, worried.  
  
Blue and yellow lights came out of the magic control, and Raven and Starfire's spirits came out of their puppets, going back to the girls' bodies, who by this time were lying motionless on the ground. They got up and started running away.  
  
'After them,' the Puppet King commanded, and the zombie Titans got up, beginning pursuit.  
  
Raven and Starfire dropped into a sewer duct, and waited until the zombie versions of their friends passed by them.  
  
'The boys,' Starfire whispered. 'Raven, what are we going to-'  
  
Raven turned a light on, only it wasn't Raven's body that had done it; It was Starfire's. Starfire in Raven's body stared, wide-eyed, at herself.  
  
'Starfire?' Raven questioned, unbelieving of their current situation.  
  
'-Raven?' Starfire called right back, and let out a startled gasp. 'You are -me!' She let out a bigger gasp. 'And I am -you!'  
  
Then, energy came out of Starfire's head and blew out the light.  
  
fade to black  
  
I realize that this part might get confusing, but, I'll use character names to refer to the person in that body, i.e. 'Raven' means Raven in Starfire's body. Cheers! 


	3. The Chase

A/N: Just in case some parts of this get confusing, they already have at least a crush on each other, they just think it's unrequited.. I wonder why all my updates come at 3 in the morning...  
  
A hawk flies above the city, and it passes over a manhole cover. Shortly afterwards, the cover is blown in the air by a burst of dark energy. It comes back down to the ground, making a loud crashing noise, and begins rolling around in place, until a pale-gray hand reaches out of the hole and stops it. Then the hand is used to pull the rest of the body out.  
  
After Starfire pulled herself up, she started taking a closer look at the body she was trapped in.  
  
'Oh Raven,' Starfire gushed, 'this is awful! Terribly, horribly awful!'  
  
During Starfire's tirade, Raven had also managed to pull herself up out of the manhole.  
  
'Tell me about it,' Raven responded, after dragging Starfire with her down the sidewalk.  
  
[How did I get myself into this mess?] Raven wondered. [It's one thing to be stuck in another body, but, of all the bodies in the world, why did it have to be -this one?]  
  
'Very well,' Starfire said, taking Raven literally. 'Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy have been trapped in tiny wood bodies,' and as she said this, growing more and more agitated, the powers of Raven's body were getting out of control, destroying things as Starfire walked, 'while a nasty creature known as the Puppet King has taken control of their -real bodies, which he is using to hunt -us down, and you and I are in the -wrong bodies, and-'  
  
'Starfire,' Raven commanded, as she put her hand on Starfire's shoulder, 'you -have to calm down. My powers are driven by emotion,' Raven explained. 'The more -you -feel, the more energy you unleash.'  
  
'But what if they find us? What if our friends are -doomed? What if I am stuck -looking like this -forever?' Starfire let out anxiously, as her hands smacked her head, and it began turning around, as if on an axle.  
  
'We'll fix it,' Raven comforted her friend. 'I don't know how, but we -will rescue the boys, and we will get our bodies back.' Then Raven realized something about what Starfire said. [There's something wrong with the way I look?] 'What's -wrong with the way I look?'  
  
'Nothing!' Starfire responded, throwing her hands up. As she did so, the indicator for the crosswalk(the sign with the 'Walk'/'Don't walk') nearby blew up. 'I will try to calm down,' Starfire sighed out. [Do not think about Raven. Do not think about the fact that since you are stuck in her body, you are touching every single part of her.] 'Peace, quiet, tranquil-'  
  
Starfire was cut off by the car that exploded next to her.  
  
'We are so doomed,' was Raven's only comment, looking at the totaled car.  
  
Suddenly, there came the cry of a hawk, from above.  
  
'Beast Boy!' called Starfire as she pointed at the bird of prey in the sky, hovering around.  
  
'You mean zombie-Beast Boy,' Raven said, as the bird began to dive. 'Run!'  
  
Raven and Starfire took off down a nearby alleyway. Raven was jumping in the air, grunting and waving her arms as she ran.  
  
'Fly, fly!' she begged the foreign body she was stuck in.  
  
The two girls stepped in a side alley, safe for the moment, and began walking down it.  
  
'We cannot fight them again,' Starfire pleaded. 'I do not -wish to, and in our present condition, we would surely be defeated!'  
  
'Okay,' Raven decided. 'How do you fly this thing?' She gestured to Starfire's body.  
  
'You must -feel flight,' Starfire replied.  
  
'What?' Raven said with a 'come again?' kind of tone.  
  
'When you feel the unbridled joy of flight, you will fly!'  
  
'Unbridled joy? Not really my thing.'  
  
'Look!' Starfire gasped, a burst of energy knocking Raven to the ground. She was pointing at zombie-Beast Boy in tiger form.  
  
'What do I have to feel to use starbolts?' Raven asked.  
  
'Righteous fury!' came Starfire's reply.  
  
'Your alien strength?'  
  
'Boundless confidence!'  
  
'Nevermind,' Raven gave up and she turned and ran. Starfire gave a tiny scream as Raven pulled her along. They ran into another side alley, hoping to lose zombie-Beast Boy. Unfortunately, they were met with zombie-Robin. His green eyes glowed in the darkness as he advanced on them. They were surrounded; Robin was on one side, Beast Boy on the other. Robin pulled out his extending pole, and jumped at the two. Meanwhile, Beast Boy also started running. Anyone who's seen a Saturday morning cartoon can tell you what happened next. Raven and Starfire stepped out of the way and Robin and Beast Boy collided with each other, giving them a chance to run away.  
  
Raven stepped into yet another side alley, but Starfire hadn't noticed, and kept running. Raven quickly grabbed hold of Starfire's cloak and pulled her back into the alley. They remained silent as Robin and Beast Boy ran past. They both gave each other a look of relief. It was short-lived, however, as Cyborg broke through an alley wall. Raven was shot in the air by Starfire's out-of-control emotions, and was halfway down the alley.  
  
'Wait for me, please!' Starfire called out as she chased after her friend.  
  
They ran around a corner, only to realize that it was a dead end. They turned around to see Cyborg blocking the way back. He was joined by Robin and Beast Boy. The two girls were backed up to the wall, when Raven turned to Starfire and put her hands on her shoulders.  
  
'If -I can't fly, -you have to levitate. You know those words I always-'  
  
'Yes!' she was cut off by Starfire, as she took a deep breath and exhaled, determined.  
  
'Wait, you have to focus!' Raven warned, as the zombie-Titans closed in on them.  
  
'Azarath Metrion Zinthos!' Starfire yelled, pointing her arms as the sky.  
  
She started shooting up into the air, and she grabbed Raven's arm, making sure not to leave her behind. They both let out a scream as they were propelled upwards, and came to a stop at the edge of the rooftops. Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy just looked up, their eyes following. Suddenly, the girls shot off, traveling at great speeds, out of the alleyway, and up to above the buildings in the area.  
  
'I wish to stop,' Starfire begged to Raven. 'Please tell me the way to stop.'  
  
'Look at the ground, and imagine—Wait!' But it was too late. Starfire had already looked down, and they fell towards a pile of garbage bags in – you guessed it – another alleyway. They smashed into the bags with a thud, and a dust cloud appeared over them.  
  
'Ugh,' Starfire groaned as she and Raven moved bags of garbage off themselves. 'I smell like the breath of a Snerbian Flort Worm. Raven, what are you-'  
  
'Shh!' Raven cut off, putting her finger on Starfire's lips.  
  
She had built a wall with the bags, so they could hide. She threw a bag at Starfire, knocking her over, just in time, as Robin and Cyborg appeared, looking for them. They saw nothing, and continued walking past the area. Starfire's hand began to glow with energy, but with a look from Raven, she was able to control herself. She put her hands over her head, so her arms looked like a parallelogram with her head in it, her hands palm to palm, and she began chanting quietly.  
  
'Peace, quiet, tranquility. Peace, quiet, tranquility.'  
  
'It's alright,' Raven sighed, smiling at Starfire. 'they're going.'  
  
They looked through a gap in the bags to see the two zombies walking away down the alley. Then, zombie-Beast Boy appeared as a rat, eliciting a scream from Starfire. Luckily enough, Raven put her hand over the Tameranean's mouth, muffling the scream. Beast Boy began sniffing the air, searching for signs of them. They sat side by side, Raven's hand still over Starfire's mouth, completely silent. Sweat began dripping down their faces, fearing they might be found out.  
  
'Enough,' came the voice of the Puppet King, causing Beast Boy to stop his searching and join the other two in normal form. 'We will catch the other two after the ceremony is complete.'  
  
'Ceremony?' puppet-Robin asked.  
  
'What ceremony?' puppet-Cyborg followed up.  
  
'Just a little spell,' the Puppet King answered evilly, 'that will destroy you three, and make your bodies mine forever. Come my puppets.'  
  
The Puppet King walked away, the zombie-Titans close in tow.  
  
As soon as the group left the alley, some trash bags were thrown out into the empty space. Raven and Starfire emerged from the bags of garbage to stand alone in the alleyway.  
  
'How can you stand having this much hair?' Raven asked as she ran her hands down it.  
  
'Quickly, Raven,' Starfire pleaded. 'Our friends are in danger! We must follow and-'  
  
'And what?' Raven interrupted. 'Save them with my unusable powers while your unbridled emotions blow us to bits? Nice flying by the way.'  
  
A black fire burned around Starfire.  
  
'At least I am –able to fly,' she countered back. 'On my planet even a –newborn can unleash the joy of flight! But you are too busy being grumpy and rude to feel -anything at -all!'  
  
'Maybe you haven't noticed,' Raven pointed out, 'but my emotions are dangerous. I can't afford to feel anything. [Especially not what I feel for you.] You may have my body, but you know –nothing about me.'  
  
[She's right,] Starfire realized. 'Perhaps, you are right, and if you and I are to overcome this ordeal, we must know everything about each other. So, begin sharing. [Please do this, Raven.]  
  
'Alright,' Raven said, as both she and Starfire sat on the ground.  
  
[Yes!] Starfire yelled in her head. [Success!]  
  
'I was born in a place called Azarath,' Raven started.  
  
As both the young girls began telling each other of their lives, they couldn't help but notice that with each other, it seemed like the most perfect place either of them could be.  
  
Fade to black 


	4. Back to the Way It Should Be

A/N: Sorry about the delay, but I just got Spiderman 2 and it's been taking up a lot of my time... :grin:

There's an empty, abandoned theatre on a corner in Jump City, and that was where Beast Boy was. Currently a Doberman, he was patrolling the front, guarding from trespassers. Raven and Starfire sat behind the debris of a building, watching carefully.

'Safe to say we're not walking in through the front door,' Raven stated. 'We'll have to try the roof.'

'Agreed,' Starfire.. well.. agreed, holding Raven's hand in hers. 'Now, do just as I instructed. Close your eyes and think of something joyful.'

[Starfire's holding my hand,] Raven realized with a sigh.

'You might choose flowers, or kittens or the laughter of children, or-'

Starfire stopped talking as Raven took off into the air. They lifted up to the roof of the old theatre, past the watchful eyes and ears of the Beast Boy-Doberman, who had been facing the other direction.

'Very, very good!' Starfire exclaimed. 'What was your joyful thought?'

[Joyful thought? Starfire.. Oh, Azar, think of a lie! Think of a lie!] Raven's inner monologue concluded as Starfire stood expecting a response. 'You.. don't wanna know.' [Well, it's true, isn't it? Surely Starfire would not wish to know of my feelings for her.]

'Oh, but I do!' Starfire countered. 'Please tell me, what did you imagine?'

[Come on, lie, lie!] 'You...' Raven whispered. [WHAT!? I said lie!]

'What?' Starfire questioned. [Surely I did not hear what I thought I heard her say. Did I?]

Raven sighed. [Might as well..] 'I said you. I thought of you, Starfire. You were the thing that made me happy.'

'Me? You thought of me?'

Of course, Raven took this as a bad sign, and immediately started to apologize.

'I'm sorry Starfire, I jus-'

'Sorry? Whatever for, Raven? You have made this a most joyous occasion! Were it not that our friends were stuck in tiny wooden bodies and about to be destroyed, surely there would be a celebration!'

'Really?'

'Really! Now, we -must rescue our friends, and we can discuss this later.'

Raven turned to the roof door, which was padlocked shut.

'Right. Now, it's your turn,' Raven said, for once very happy. 'Find your center. Focus your energy on the lock.'

[I can do this!] Starfire encouraged herself. 'Azarath Metrion Zinthos.'

As she completed her incantation, the lock was swallowed in energy, and torn apart.

'Nice work!' Raven congratulated. [She actually did it...]

[I actually did it...] 'Success!' Starfire shouted, throwing the doors open by accident with her emotions. [Oops..]

'Nice work..' Raven said, maybe just a little more sarcastically this time around.

The noise of the doors was not lost on the Puppet King inside, who was sitting in front of a bowl of blue fire.

'Search and destroy,' he commanded his zombie-Titans. 'I do -_not_ want an audience.'

They, of course, did his bidding, and went off in search of Raven and Starfire.

'Well, Titans, time for your Grand Finale,' the Puppet King continued, pouring a blue liquid on the fire, causing it to rise higher.

Raven and Starfire were on a catwalk above the bowl.

'No,' Raven cried softly.

'It's going to be a real show-stopper,' the Puppet King said, grabbing the puppet-Titans, preparing to drop them into the bowl. They cried for help, desperately, begging not to be dropped in the bowl, but to no avail to the holder of their fate. 'Don't worry, I'll take good care of your bodies. After all, they'll be mine forever.' He let go of the puppets, seemingly dropping them to their doom, but suddenly, they were encased in a black sphere, and carried away to safety.

'My friends!' Starfire yelled gleefully, hugging the puppets. 'You are unharmed!'

'Star.. fire?' Robin asked, confused.

'It's a long story,' Raven filled in.

'Go my puppets!' the Puppet King commanded, control in hand, jumping and making odd gestures. 'Capture them!'

The zombie-Titans took off for the catwalk above.

'Move!' Raven yelled, grabbing Starfire as she ran.

They got halfway down the catwalk until Beast Boy as a bat blocked their way, causing a scream from the girls, because bats are scary little devils. Then Robin landed on the catwalk behind them, seemingly trapping them. To make matters worse, Cyborg appeared on the railing, and shot them with his Sonic Blaster(it's Sonic Blaster, right?), sending them and the puppets flying off the catwalk. The puppet-Titans landed on the ground so that Robin's butt was conveniently in Beast Boy's face.

'Dude,' Beast Boy started, noticing this, 'get your butt out of my face!'

'Can't move,' Robin answered. 'Deal with it.'

Meanwhile, Raven and Starfire had come to a stop in the air, floating for the moment. They turned to face their attackers, one of which Beast Boy, who had turned himself into a gorilla. Robin jumped and swung on a rope, going after Starfire, who ended up on another catwalk.

'Robin, I do not wish to fight you,' Starfire said, dodging attacks all the while. Robin caught hold of her cloak though, and threw her down the catwalk. Then she noticed that Robin had stepped into a rope circle, almost like a snare trap. 'But I will if I must,' she finished, dropping a sandbag off the catwalk, taking Robin with it.

Over elsewhere, Raven was being pursued by Cyborg and Beast Boy, still as a gorilla. Beast Boy finally caught her, pulling her down to, you guessed it, another catwalk(Gee, there's a lot of those, aren't there?). She turned around in his grip and kicked his chest, sending him flying backwards, and she herself landed at the end of the catwalk as Cyborg just showed up.

'Ok, Raven, starbolts,' she tried to encourage herself. 'Just let go of your emotions, feel the righteous fury and-'

There was no time for that as Cyborg nearly punched her face into a wall. She jumped over them, and started running, until Beast Boy slammed his hands into the catwalk, sending pieces of it falling to the ground. Raven was on one of those pieces. However, Raven started flying back up, green fire burning in her eyes, and she uppercut Beast Boy, sending him flying back onto the catwalk, now in normal form. Cyborg grabbed a rope and swung past her, gaining momentum, and swung back towards her, preparing to fly into her feet first. Raven saw it coming though, and jumped off the railing into the air. Then she dropped down towards Cyborg, one foot extended, and sent Cyborg packing for the ground, twirling as he went.

Starfire gasped she saw that Cyborg was headed directly for the puppet-Titans. 'Azarath Metrion Zinthos!' she yelled, as she stopped him just in time and send him flying sideways. Then she looked up and dodged a sandbag, that Robin had almost hit her with. He leapt towards Starfire, gums flapping, making a very weird noise that I'm not sure anyone would want to hear. Then Starfire remembered that she was still holding Cyborg in her powers and she slammed him into Robin, sending them both flying.

Raven was admiring Starfire from higher above, but then she heard a loud roar, and got out of the way as Beast Boy-gorilla came falling down towards her. His impact on the catwalk sent Raven flying, but she regained her balance and did a handflip back to her feet.

'Righteous fury, righteous fury,' she chanted. 'Concentrate.'

A starbolt shot out of her hand, surprising her a bit, then she had to dodge a punch. She leapt into the air, but Beast Boy caught her foot and threw her down. He slammed his hands down toward her, but she rolled out of the way. Then she heard Starfire scream.

[Starfire!] she thought, even as Beast Boy picked her up by the head. She flipped out of it and kicked Beast Boy in the head. [You know, I think kicking Beast Boy is therapeutic or something, because it sure feels good.] She jumped to a support beam and used it to shove off of, headed towards Starfire, who was fending off attacks from Robin and Cyborg. Robin was prepared to kick her, but Raven tackled him out of the air, holding him while floating.

'Not me, them!' Starfire shouted, pointing to the Puppet King, who was running to the fire with the puppet-Titans.

'The Puppet King is in command!' he stated, preparing to toss them in.

Green fire once again grew in Raven's eyes, but this time, it also grew on her hand.

'NO!' she yelled, firing a starbolt at the Puppet King, knocking him back and the puppets safely to the ground. His control, however, flipped into the air, hit a stage light, and landed in the flame.

'My control!' the Puppet King exclaimed, laying on the ground, staring.

The fire grew, and took an irregular shape, bent and twisted.

'NOOOOOOOOOO!!!' the Puppet King yelled, as blue light came out of his eyes and mouth, causing him to shake and convulse.

The spirits of the puppet-Titans flew out of them, returning to their bodies, as did Raven's and Starfire's. Theirs, however, mingled with each other for a little while, before finally making their way back. Raven and Starfire landed on the ground, as they had still been in the air while all this was happening, and Starfire set Robin down to the ground.

'I am me!' Starfire exclaimed, overjoyed, and then turned to Raven. 'And you are you!'

'And we're us!' Cyborg said, coming up with Beast Boy behind Robin, joining in celebration.

'Thanks to you two,' Robin congratulated.

'You go girls,' Beast Boy threw in.

'Raven, we have done it!' Starfire gushed out, and pulled Raven into a hug.

Raven thought about protesting, considering her nature and all that, but, for once, she decided just to let herself go and hugged Starfire back. Suddenly, they heard a scream from behind them.

'The magic!' the Puppet King got out. 'Without it I'm just a..' and he fell lifeless to the ground.

'Puppet,' Raven whispered.

Raven sat in her room the next day, meditating like always. The view from her window really was quite wonderful, though she didn't notice it with her eyes closed. She sat, levitated, chanting like always the three same words.

'The view is wonderful, is it not?'

'Star.. fire?'

'Please excuse my interruption, but, I was, wondering...'

'Wondering?'

'If you have any plans for tomorrow evening?'

'No, why?' [What is she up to?]

'Well, it's just.. I have heard that it is customary on Earth to take someone out to dinner, if you like them, and I very much like you.'

'Starfire, are you asking me out on a..'

'Date? Yes,' Starfire answered timidly. [Please say yes!]

[I can't do this. Think of the consequences. What will the boys say?]

However, Raven's mouth didn't listen to her mind.

'I'd like that,' she said. [sigh Why am I even here?] her brain asked her.

[YES!] 'Excellent, most excellent!' was Starfire's response. 'I will meet you here tomorrow at 7.'

Raven sighed, and was about to continue with her meditation, assuming Starfire would leave, but she asked one last question.

'Raven?'

'Yeah Starfire?'

'May I join you in meditation?'

'Sure. Find your center,' Raven instructed, as Starfire joined her at the window.

And now it's time that this chapter of their story is over.

Well, this was the last chapter. Hope you enjoyed it, and the story, and thanks for all the reviews. -Tim


End file.
